The Secrets In The Telling
by EmW05
Summary: No one is ever who they seem to be and sometime you have to learn that the hard way.
1. Chapter 1

This is a totally AU story. Nathan and Haley are not married. They have been dating for two years. They both are attending Duke University. None of the players I name are actually players at Duke and the coach I will be using is not the realy coach at Duke. I honestly don't know anything about Duke. So here goes nothing. I hope you like it! Please review.

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Chapter One  
Nathan Scott turned around and watched his parent's separate cars drive away. The words of his mother play over in his head, "We're just a phone call. Call if you need anything." He smiled to himself and looked around at this brand new place. This was it. This was the real deal. This was college.

He stuffed his hands deep into the pockets of his khaki cargo shorts and walked toward the athletic dorm. From the outside, the dorm looked mediocre, but Nathan knew better. He knew the Duke University wouldn't have their precious athletes living an anything up the Taj Mahal.

His phone rang from his pocket, T.I.'s "What You Know" played for less than two seconds before he answered. "What up?" He said quickly, before even reading the caller id.

"Well if I didn't know better, I would have thought you had forgotten all about me," joked his serious girlfriend of over two years, Haley James. She was on an academic scholarship at Duke while Nathan was on an athletic scholarship.

Nathan turned away from the athlete's dorm and glanced out over the quad. He watched Haley walk across the grass toward him. "How could I forget about you?" She was getting close enough to hear him without the phone, so he closed it and put it back into his pocket.

"So this is it?" She asked him, "You are giving up living with me, you're beautiful and oh so sexy girlfriend to live in…" She paused for a moment and pointed to the dorm, "this?"

He shrugged his shoulders, "Come on Hales." He put his hands on her shoulders and continued, "Absence makes the heart grow fonder." He removed his hands from her shoulders and turned back to his dorm, slowly glancing over his shoulder to say, "So you stay on your side of the campus and I," He turned back around, "will stay on mine." Nathan winked at her as he picked up two duffle bags and threw them over his shoulders.

Haley whipped her head around, "Fine," she said, "when it is three in the morning and _someone_ and I quote,'needs me', I won't be coming over here. No sir. I'll just stay on _my_ side of the campus."

He rolled his eyes and laughed at her, "Okay, Haley, I believe you. I guess I will just see you around." Nathan said jokingly and headed up the steps to his dorm.

She laughed and kept walking. After she had walked about halfway across the quad, she turned around to yell at him, "Dinner at 8?"

Without turning around, he replied, "Yep. See ya at eight fifteen." Nathan knew better than to go over to Haley's dorm at eight. He knew there was no way she would be ready. She was always running late and there was no chance that today was going to be any different.

Before Nathan reached the top of the steps, he turned around to look out over the courtyard. He noticed at girl across the yard playing tackle football with a group of fraternity guys. He watched her talk with her hand and reenact single handedly the last play of the game. He watched her throw her hands into the air and motion to the quarterback of the other team. Nathan continued watching the mystery girl until he caught himself smiling. She glanced up toward the dorm and noticed him watching her.

The girl gave him a coy smile and casually waved to him. He let his lips curl up at her in an attempt at a smile and then turned away.

"Stay away from that chick, dude." A voice said from behind Nathan. He quickly turned around to see Terrance Romany, the starting center for the Blue Devils, standing directly behind him.

Nathan shook his head at Terrance, "No, man," he said, "I have a girlfriend. I was just watching…"

"Yeah," Terrance said, interrupting Nathan, "That's what ever new recruit says when they get here." He say on the step right below Nathan, "But then something goes wrong in their relationships… and it is usually… her." He said as he pointed to the football playing girl.

"Maybe so, but not me. I'm different. My girl and I are going to make it, I'm sure of that." Nathan said, firmly to Terrance as he started to head inside of the dorm.

Terrance called out to him, "Yeah, good luck with that man. Temptation is pretty serious around here. This isn't your little town back home. This is the big time. This is the real deal."

Nathan nodded at his experienced teammate and walked into the dorm without glancing back at the girl in the quad. He took the elevator up three flights of stairs to his room and slowly opened the door. His roommate, Will Tucker from Phoenix, Arizona, lay on his bed with his eyes closed listening to his iPod. Nathan looked out the window, "Perfect," he said quickly when he realized his room overlooked none other than the quad.

Will sat up at stared at Nathan. "What ya lookin' at dude?" He asked, rubbing his eyes and pulling his earbuds from deep inside his ears.

"Oh," Nathan turned around quickly, "Nothing really. Just checking things out."

"Checking out the selection?" Will asked as he nodded at Nathan.

Nathan shook his head and sat on his bed, "No, man, I have a girlfriend."

"Oh." Will said under his breath, almost sounding disappointed at Nathan's answer. "That's cool, I guess." He said trying to save himself from his previous comment.

Nathan looked around the room and then at his watch. It was seven thirty and he wanted to walk around a little before he had to go get Haley. "Well, Will I am gonna go out for a while. I'll be back later." He said as he grabbed his keys and walked toward the door.

"Tell the ball and chain I said, 'hello'." Will said as Nathan closed the door.

Nathan rolled his eyes and took the stairs down to the main floor. He looked out the glass doors to see the girl and her frat boys wrapping up their game. He decided to walk in her direction and introduce himself. He was always up for meeting new people. Especially females, good looking females at that. As he got closer, she noticed him.

He watched her ever move as he got closer and closer. He noticed that she had piercing blue eyes and a birthmark on the back of her left knee. Her long blonde hair had been recently cut because of the blunt length of her ponytail. As she turned around again, he saw that she had on dimple on her right cheek and that she had her cartilage pierced.

Once he finally reached her, he put out his hand to introduce himself. She smiled at him and returned the favor. "Hey. I've been watching you play football and honestly, you're not half bad."

She laughed at him as she shook his hand, "Wow, thanks. That's really sweet of you." She said, sarcasm oozing from her words.

He was mentally hitting himself as he said, "Yeah, so I'm not the best with introductions."

"Well, a name would be nice." She said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Nathan." He said quickly.

"Nathan," She repeated, "Nathan." She nodded at his name and bent over to pick up the football. She placed it under her arm and said, "So Nathan, what brings you to the lovely Duke University, might I ask?"

"I'm going to be the new starting small forward." He said without even thinking.

The girl looked behind her and then back at Nathan, "Well, that's really something Nathan, I didn't know we were in need of a new small forward."

He nodded at her, "Learn something new everyday."

She smirked at him, "I guess so." She smiled at him and held the football in her hands. "Well Nathan, it was a pleasure to meet you."

"Pleasure's all mine." Nathan said as he smiled at her.

She smiled back and started to walk away.

"Wait." Nathan said, calling out to her. The girl slowly stopped. "Whats your name?"

She shrugged her shoulders and turned around, "Is it going to make any difference if I tell you?"

"You never know." Nathan yelled to her.

She shook her head and said, "Wrong answer."

"Of course it will make a difference." He said, correcting himself.

She smiled at him. "Carter."

"Carter." He said repeating her, just as she had done to him.

She turned around and walked away.

"Maybe I'll see you around Carter." Nathan yelled.

"Maybe so Nathan." Carter replied.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Haley James tapped her fingers on the back of her cell phone as she sat on the picnic bench in front of her dorm. She flipped the phone over to look at the time, 8:47. For once in her life she wasn't running late. She was the one who was never ready on time. She knew how much that aggravated Nathan so tonight she tried to be early. She looked at her phone again, 8:48. So much for being early.

She leaned back against the table and crossed her arms over her chest. If this was Nathan giving her a taste of her own medicine, she was going to be livid. Her newly ash blonde hair was perfectly curled and the graphic tee stating "I Believe in Happy Endings" hugged her in all the right places. She ran her hands over her jeans and looked out into the distance. Nothing.

A tall blonde guy walked up behind her and sat on the other side of the picnic table. "Waiting for something?" He asked her as he leaned over the table, "It's Sunday. Nothing's going to happen. Nothing exciting at least."

Without turning around, she laughed, "I am starting to believe you." She looked over her shoulder, "I'm waiting on someone."

"Oh." He said with a smile. "I get it. I bet… you're waiting on your boyfriend right?" Haley nodded at him. "Right, the ubiquitous boyfriend. You could have just said you weren't interested."

She turned around quickly and shook her hands at him, "No, no. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be rude, it's just… well, my boyfriend, and yes I really do have a boyfriend," He smiled at her and she continued, "he was supposed to be here forty five minutes ago. He knows I am always running late so I figured he would be here by at least 8:15." Haley looked at her phone, "But its 8:50 and… no sign of him… anywhere."

"Well a girl like you should never be kept waiting." He said as he walked to the other side of the bench and sat down next to her.

"A girl like me?" She asked, almost laughing.

"Yeah," He nudged her, "You know, a gorgeous girl like you could get any guy on this campus."

Haley laughed, "Well thanks for feeding me that line, but I am doing just fine with the guy on this campus that I have."

"Oh… so he goes here?"

"Yeah," She looked at him, beaming, "He's on the basketball team."

"He's one of those," The guy said slowly. "I have met a lot of your kind over the past few years."

"My kind?" She scoffed at him, "A girl like me… my kind."

"Yeah, the 'dating-since-high-school-follow-me-to-college-so-that-we-can-live-happily ever-after' girls," He pointed to her shirt, "And according to that shirt of yours, you do believe in happily ever after." He narrowed his eyes at her, "Are you happy?"

She shook her head at him, "Come on, I don't even know you. I don't even know your name." She stood up and walked about three feet from the table. "I am not talking to you about my personal life when I don't even know your name."

"That was enough of an answer for me." He stood up, "A simple yes would have done the trick just fine."

Haley turned around to look at him, "Don't you even think for one second that you know anything about me." She said calmly. "I mean for god's sake, you don't even know anything about me."

He smiled at her and cocked his head to the side, "Then you have nothing to worry about right? I mean chances are, after this strange encounter tonight, we will never see each other again, huh?"

"What's your deal anyway?" She looked him up and down, "What are you, like, twenty five?"

He nodded at her and shrugged his shoulders, "What's it matter if we never see each other again?"

She huffed at him and crossed her arms over her chest. She watched him walk into the co-ed dorm that she lived in, "Where do you think you are going old man? That's my dorm?"

Without turning around he replied, "Well if you have to know, I am an RA in this dorm." He turned around slowly, "So I guess we will be seeing a lot more of one another."

Rolling her eyes, she replied, "Perfect."

"Don't sound too excited," He said as he walked into the dorm.

"Great, just great." She complained under her breath. Haley walked back over to the table and sat down. She crossed and uncrossed her legs three times before she saw Nathan from across the street.

Her head shook at him as he came closer. "Where the hell…"

"I know, I know." He tried to kiss her and she pulled away, "I'm sorry." He said, putting his hands on her hips.

"Whatever," She said as she grabbed her purse and threw it over her shoulder. "Where are we eating?"

Nathan looked at his watch and then back up at Haley, "Shit," He said almost calmly, "I didn't realize I was so late."

"Yeah, well you are." She said quickly in reply.

"I have to be back at nine thirty…"

"Nathan…" Haley said, whining at him, "What was the point then?" She threw her arms into the air, "Whatever, just… whatever."

"Hales…"

"Just go." Haley said as she slouched her shoulders and walked toward her dorm. She put her hand on the door and Nathan said, "Hales I'm so sorry, this won't happen again, I promise."

She nodded at him and walked into the door. Nathan watched her. He put his head down and walked back to the direction he had just come from.

"Well look who it is." A voice said as he got close to the street. He looked up. It was Carter. She ran her hands over the steering wheel of her Chrysler Crossfire and said, "Did someone just kill your dog or something?"

He gave her a small laugh and said, "No, it's my girlfriend…"

"Ah… the girlfriend." She drummed her fingers on the steering wheel, "There's always a girlfriend." She smirked at her comment and motion for him to get in the car, "Come on. Get in. I will take you back to you're side of campus."

Nathan shook his head at her, "Nah, its okay. I'll walk. I need to think."

"And you can't think in a car?" She smiled at him, "Come on and get in."

Nathan looked around and finally agreed. "This is a bad idea."

"Nathan, chill out. I am just a girl giving her new friend a ride back to campus. I'm not going to try and take advantage of you." She glanced over at him, "Unless you want me too." Nathan didn't even crack a smile. "Kidding, kidding. Wow, tough crowd."

"How'd you get a Crossfire?" Nathan said quickly. "I mean I haven't even seen prices listed anywhere…"

"I got it out of a Cracker Jacks box." Again, no smile from Nathan. She shrugged her shoulders, "I don't know. I got lucky I guess." She glanced at him and decided to get serious, "So, how'd you end up here?"

"In your car?" He asked, now joking, "Well you told me to get in, and promised you wouldn't take advantage of me."

She narrowed her eyes at him, "I get serious and then you start joking around, I see how it is." He smiled at her, "A smile?" She turned her head to the side, "No. I didn't even know you knew how to smile."

He rolled his eyes, "My dad's dream was for me to play division one ball… so here I am, pursuing his dream."

"Any what's your dream?" She asked without even thinking.

Nathan paused for a moment and looked at her, then back at the road. "Wow." He put his hands into his pockets, "No one has ever asked me that… well no one has asked me that so honestly."

She shrugged her shoulders, "I could care less what your father's dream is…"

"I guess I don't know what my dream is." He interrupted, "I never really had the chance to think about it."

She smiled at him and said, "Well welcome to college. Now you have the chance to think about it."

He nodded at her and got out of the car. "Hey, Carter, thanks for the ride." She nodded at him and he turned around. Nathan started to walk away but then turned around, "Hey…" But before he could finish he realized she was already gone. He smiled at the back of her car and turn back around. He nodded at the dorm in front of him. He knew he would see her again so he just kept on walking.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

The shades were open in the living room, letting the light from the August mid-afternoon illuminate the room. Carter walked from her room at the back of the apartment to her roommate, Lyndsi Harlow's, room at the front of their apartment. She stood in the doorway and leaned against the door frame. She crossed her arms over her chest and watched Lyndsi type feverously at her desk.

"I found a new victim." Carter said, making Lyndsi jump in her seat. Carter ran her fingers through her unwashed, blonde hair as she stared at her roommate.

Lyndsi whipped her head around and placed her hand over her heart, "I hope it's not me."

Carter laughed as she threw a grape into her mouth. She laughed, "No, no. I've already conquered you." She walked out of the doorway and sat on the couch in the living room, "You're old news." She crossed her legs and turned on the TV.

The college station was on. They were showing previews of the year's sports teams. She narrowed her eyes at the television as she tossed another grape into her mouth. "This guy," She said calmly and pointed the remote at the television.

His face came across the television and Lyndsi immediately poked her head from her room. "What is he, like, a freshman?" She stepped out of her room and into the kitchen. Grabbing water from the refrigerator, she said, "He looks like a baby."

Carter shook her head at her roommate, "What he looks like is the perfect prey." She stood in front of the TV and watched him carefully. "He has this girlfriend, who he is, like, just infatuated with but…" She paused for a moment, collecting her thoughts, "I don't know…"

Lyndsi threw her a bottle of water and interrupted her roommates thought, "I met a boy."

"You met a boy?" Carter asked as she swallowed a gulp of water.

Lyndsi nodded and repeated herself, "I met a boy."

Carter raised her eyebrow, "And…"

"He's nice." Lyndsi walked back into her room without saying another word.

Carter followed her, "You bring up the fact that you met a boy after you have been single for…" Carter looked at an imaginary watch, "Like, ever, and all you can say about him is, 'he's nice'?" She threw her arms into the air, "That's it?"

"Well he is." Lyndsi whispered calmly. "I don't know what else you want me to say."

"Um, well," Carter put her hands onto her hips, "A name or where he goes to school, or something like that would be nice."

"Lucas, UNC, and…" Lyndsi turned around, "He's nice."

"Ha." Carter walked back to her room without another word to Lyndsi. She knew exactly what would happen. Lyndsi would fall hard for this guy, obsess over him, run him away, and then sulk about it for two years just like she did with her last boyfriend, JB.

JB Browning was a junior just like Carter and Lyndsi. He was a Lambda Sigma and infamous for being a playboy even before he got to Duke. People had heard stories about him before he stepped on campus. Lyndsi met him at a Golf Pros and Tennis Hoes date party their freshman year. They were immediately inseparable. That was until JB cheated on her with one of her sorority sisters at the Lambda Sigma /Phi Omega winter formal.

Lyndsi was still working on getting over him.

This new Lucas character was the first guy Lyndsi had even talked about since JB.

Carter stared out her window and noticed at black explorer pull into the parking lot. She watched a tall guy get out of the car. She ran to the front door and then out onto the deck/stairs. Leaning over the bars she yelled to the guy, "Stalk much?"

He looked up at her. It was Nathan. "Oh great, it's you," He said with a smile.

She smiled back at him, "What brings you to these parts little boy?"

"Little boy?" He laughed, "My friend lives in building five."

"Ah," Carter replied with a smile. She looked over her shoulder to glance back at her apartment door, "Well, I live in building four…" She turned back around, "If you ever wanna… ya know, get out of the dorm life."

The edges of his lips curled up, as he looked at her, "Okay… thanks."

Nathan nodded at her and continued on his way to building five. His cell phone rang from his pocket and he quickly answered, "Yeah?"

"Nate, I really don't have all day, where are you?"

"Brooke, chill out. I am coming." Nathan said to Brooke Davis, his on and off friend, trying to calm her.

She swung the door open to see Nathan standing in the doorway. She grabbed his arm and pulled him into the apartment, slamming the door behind him. Brooke threw her arms onto her hips, "He is seeing another girl." She paused and threw her arms into the air as she stomped across the living room, "Another girl!" Nathan kept silent. "Are you hearing me?" Brooke put her hands onto Nathan's shoulders, "Your brother, my ex-boyfriend, is… seeing another girl!" Now, she was practically screaming.

Nathan nodded slowly, "I get it, I get it." He walked across the living room and sat on the couch, "Really though Brooke, I wouldn't get too worked up about anything yet."

"Oh, trust me," She put her hands over her heart, "This is not worked up." Brooke let it be silent for less than ten seconds. "It's just… we just broke up, like, two months ago."

Nathan continued to nod and "mhm-ing" at each of her comments. He wasn't paying attention; he was too busy eating her M&M's and watching her new flat screen television.

"… and then she said….Haley was like…" Brooke continued on.

Nathan looked up as soon as he heard Haley's name. "What did Haley say?"

Brooke raised her eyebrow, "You weren't listening to any of that were you?" Nathan shook his head. "Well, your girlfriend, who may not be your girlfriend for much longer if you aren't careful, said that you were so late the other night that you didn't even get to hang out." Nathan said nothing. Brooke leaned against the island in the kitchen and took a deep breath and then letting out a long sigh, "Nate, you can't be doing that. Seriously."

"I know, I know. I messed up." Nathan leaned back on the couch.

Brooke reached into the refrigerator and pulled out a Diet Pepsi. She took a long drink and asked, "Where were you Nate?"

He shook his head and then lowered it into his hands, "I was with this girl I met." Brooke looked up at him quickly and narrowed her eyes at him. He shook his hands at her, "No, no, no. It's not like that at all. It's just this girl… I met…"

"Nathan Scott, honestly, you can't be pulling crap like this." Brooke walked across the room to set next to him on the couch. She lowered her head on to his shoulder, "You are going to break her heart," she whispered.

He nodded slowly and put his arm around Brooke, "You're a good friend to her."

She turned to look at him, "But you're my friend too." She patted his leg and stood up. "Just…don't throw what you all have away."

Nathan stood up and kissed his friend on the forehead. They smiled at one another and Brooke pushed him toward the door. "Go see your girlfriend, please?" She put her hands together, "Please, I beg of you. If I get one more late night phone call from Haley James… your dust pal."

He laughed at her and opened the door. He stepped out and turned back around to see Brooke standing in the doorway. She winked at him and he said, "Thanks Brooke."

Brooke nodded at him, "Go, go see your girlfriend."

Nathan practically ran to his car and Carter watched him from the window in her living room. She smiled at his actions and slowly closed the shades. It was better that way.


	4. Chapter 4

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As soon as the sun when down in Durham the night really began and tonight the girls were going out. Haley ran her hands over her purple and brown baby doll top, smoothing out all the creases. She leaned in to get a good look at herself in the mirror. She smiled slightly in satisfaction as she covered her lips in lip gloss.

She could hear Brooke singing from the kitchen, "She a brick… house. She's mighty, mighty just letting it all hang out…" She was a terrible singer. Haley cringed. She popped her head out of Brooke's bathroom, "Miss Davis. Please. Spare me."

Brooke rolled her eyes at her friend, "Whatever, you know you love my singing." She poured herself a glass of wine, then one for Haley, and continued singing. She walked into the bathroom and handed it to her.

Haley smiled and took a long drink and said, "I'm worried."

Brooke cocked her eyebrow as she turned and walked into her room. "About…" She leaned across her dresser and sorted through her jewelry box.

"Nathan." Haley said calmly. She really was worried. He has just been acting different. Haley worried that he had met a new girl. She was also worried that maybe, just maybe, she had met a new guy.

"No way Hales. Don't be ridiculous. Nate was just over here today and trust me… you are going to make it." She walked back into the bathroom and put her hand on her friends back. They clanked glasses and Brooke said, "Trust me."

Haley gave Brooke a small smile, "But that's the thing," She started to say, "I am not sure if I want it to work." Brooke looked at Haley, confused. "He is amazing, don't get me wrong, it's just, I don't want to miss out on anything…This is college…"

"I understand," Brooke said as she took a long drink of her five dollar wine, "But what if… just what if, let's say you and Nate break up. You go off and do your tutor girl thing and you realize, 'well, I wasn't missing anything, but what I do miss is Nathan'. Okay," She paused to make sure Haley was still paying attention. Haley nodded and Brooke continued, "But then you go and try to get back together with Nathan and he is with some, nasty, skanky, three dollar hooker…"

Haley narrowed her eyes at Brooke, "And you're point is…"

"So, to conclude this story, if you break up with Nathan and you tell him to move on, he is going to move on." Brooke dug her hands into the pockets of her Paige jeans.

"And that's bad?"

"And that's bad." Brooke said, confirming Haley's sort of statement. She walked into the living room and Haley followed. Brooke filled up her glass as she said, "Look at me for instance. Lucas and I were together for, what, like a year or two on and off. So we graduate and have a good month during the summer, but then I decide, 'okay, how about we have a change', so we break up."

Haley interrupted, "And…"

"And now here I am… miserable."

"You aren't miserable."

"Pretty close to it."

The front door swung open and in the doorway stood Peyton Sawyer. She put her hands on her hips and glanced at her two friends. She switched her weight from one leg to the next, allowing her tight blue jean mini to move slightly on her thin hips. Her black pumps set off her long legs.

"P. Sawyer, looking hot as ever." Brooke said as she looked Peyton up and down.

Peyton shook her head and Brooke got up to pour her a glass of wine. She handed her the glass and said, "Guess who I saw today?" Brooke answered her own question, "I'll tell ya who, Lyndsi."

"Lyndsi…"

"Lyndsi Harlow!" Peyton and Haley sat on the couch, both confused. "Cousin Lyndsi. Brunette." Brooke pointed to her hair. "She's a Phi Omega…"

"You could go on for days and I still wouldn't know who you are talking about," Peyton said as she glanced from her glass of wine to Brooke.

"Well anyways," She finished her second glass of wine and poured a third, "She met a guy." Brooke took a long drink of her wine, "And speaking of meeting guys…" She nodded her head at Haley, "Hales…"

"What? What about Nathan?" Peyton said quickly.

"No, no, no." Haley narrowed her eyes at Brooke. "Brooke is lying." She shook her head, "I didn't meet a guy. Nathan and I are still together."

Brooke whipped her head quickly to Peyton's direction, "Goldilocks, any cute guys over there at NC State?"

"Yeah, I mean… there are a few."

"Better than Jake?" Brooke said sipping on her wine and chewing on a cube of cheese. "Jake Jagielski… oh Jake Jagielski…" Brooke looked off, obviously thinking about Jake.

"Brooke!" Peyton waved her arms, "Earth to Brooke."

Haley nudged her, "Just let her do this for a minute or so…"

The two girls stared at their friend. Brooke finally glanced away and back at the girls. "Wow sorry."

Haley laughed at her, "Yeah…"

"No, but as I was saying before Brooke starting dreaming about my sort of ex-boyfriend…"

Peyton was interrupted by Brooke's cell phone ringing. She motioned for Haley to answer. "Hello." It was Brooke's cousin, Lyndsi. Haley tossed her the phone.

"Oh hey Lyndsi… yeah, we are getting ready to go out… no, its just us girls over here… okay, cool… I'm excited to meet him… okay, bye Lyndsi…"

"Whats up with her?" Peyton asked Brooke.

"She wants me to meet her roommate and this guy she is, kinda, dating."

"Isn't that kind of weird?" Peyton said.

Brooke had never been close to her cousin. The actually didn't even get along. Brooke figured her aunt was making Lyndsi pretend to take interest in Brooke.

"Yeah, it is." Brooke said as she heard a knock at the door. She poured herself a forth glass of wine before heading to the door. The door opened and Brooke saw her cousin standing there with none other than her ex-boyfriend… Lucas Scott.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

_Marcel Proust once said, "It is seldom indeed that one parts on good terms, because if one were on good terms, one would not part."_

He watched her shoulders fall and the smile on her face fade away. She ran her hands over her hair and then let them find the pockets on her jeans. Her eyes met the tiled floor of the kitchen. She would look at anything as long as she didn't have to look at him.

"Brooke." Haley said as she walked closer to Brooke and put her hand on her back. Brooke slowly shook her head and the closed her eyes for what seemed like an eternity.

Lucas kept his eyes fixated on her. He hated to see her this way. He leaned over and whispered into Lyndsi's ear, "Maybe I should go."

He never would have come over had he known Lyndsi's cousin was none other than his ex girlfriend. Lucas looked at Peyton and then at Brooke, whose eyes were still fixated on the white tiled floor. Peyton crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes at him. She knew Brooke was taking their break-up harder than anytime before. Brooke thought this time was different. She thought this time they could be together, but then she ruined it…again.

Lyndsi glanced at Brooke, "Brooke, this is Lucas." She smiled. Her white pearls of teeth plastered across her face. Lyndsi reached to her neck and played with her silver, cross necklace.

Brooke finally looked up, letting her eyes settle on his tanned face. She let the corners of her lips curl up at him in an attempt at a smile. "Hey," She said in a soft, raspy voice.

Lucas smiled slowly at her, "Hey back." He said his words smooth and calm. He blinked hard at her and took a step away from Lyndsi. "Sorry for not calling you back…" He dug his hands deep into the pockets of his khaki shorts, "I've been… busy."

She nodded slowly at him and looked back down at the floor. Haley handed her a glass of wine, but Brooke pushed it away. She had already had about five glasses and this encounter with the ex-boyfriend was going to be emotional enough whether or no alcohol played a part.

"I take it ya'll two know each other," Lyndsi said, her slow, southern accent oozing off of her I's and ya'll's.

Lucas nodded and Brooke looked up at him, saying, "Yeah… we used to be friends." She looked at him as her eyes teared up. She grabbed her purse and headed for the door. She turned the knob quickly and ran down the stairs.

Lucas looked at the girls standing in the apartment and then glanced at the door. He ran after Brooke. "Wait." He watched the lights on her car flash. She swung the drivers door open and he called back to her, "Brooke, hang on!"

"Just leave me alone, you haven't had a problem with that lately." Brooke climbed into the front sear and Lucas ran down the stairs and stood in front of her car.

"You can't do this Brooke."

She turned the car on, "Lucas just let me go… please." Wiping away her tears, she said, "Just let me go. You've moved on. I get that…"

"That's what you wanted!" He yelled as he threw his arms into the air. "You broke up with me remember?"

She threw her head back and laid on the horn. He jumped out of the way.

The pair's eye's met and Brooke chewed on her bottom lip. Her head tilted to the side and she looked at him with sad eyes. He watched a tear fall from her green eyes. Her eyes were green when she cried, only he knew that.

Brooke shrugged her shoulders, "It was the first time… I was happy…" Her words trailed off, slipped into the sorrow of her words. Her hands slipped from the steering wheel, "For the first time in my life…" She looked down and then slowly, back up, "I was happy." Her voice cracked as she said 'happy'.

Lucas closed his eyes for just a moment and then walked to the driver's side of the car. His hand met the top of hers and she looked up at him, "What's wrong with me?" She shook her head.

Her dark hair framed her tear streaked face. Lucas reached toward her face and then quickly pulled away, "There's nothing wrong with you." He crossed his arms over his chest and took a step back, "There was something wrong with us. There was nothing wrong with you and there was nothing wrong with me… there was something wrong with us."

He leaned toward her car and put his hands through the window. She took them in her hands and kissed the top of them. "No matter what I have ever said… or will ever say about you," She let out a small laugh in between her tears, "You are amazing, amazing guy Lucas Eugene Scott." She starred into his blue eyes, "Any girl would be lucky to have you." Brooke smiled at him, letting her dimples barely show through her heartrending smile, "I should know," She paused for a moment, her words soaking in, "I was the luckiest."

Lucas chin quivered as he tried to push his tears away. He quickly turned away from the baby blue car and walked back toward the apartment.

Haley leaned over the railing and watched Lucas. She had never seen him look so sad, not when his mom left for Italy, not when Keith died. He had never looked like this. She blinked hard at the sight and watching him put his hands atop his head. He quickly turned around and called after her, "Brooke!"

Her parking spot was empty. It was too little too late, she was already gone.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Awkward silence. It is one of those miserable moments in life you can hardly help but experience. Everyone is judging someone else because of their own insecurities. "Her hair is so blonde; who does she think she is? Her boobs are so fake; she looks like some kind of circus freak." You get the point. And girls are the worst, insecure girls are lethal.

Haley blinked hard at the blonde standing in the corner. She watched her run her hands through her perfectly straight mane and then cock her eyebrow as she looked out the window. Haley nervously did the same, running her hands over her long, newly colored ash blonde hair. It looked miserable, she was sure of it.

"Does my hair look just awful?" Haley casually asked Peyton as she leaned toward and ran her finger over the rim of her wine glass.

Peyton laughed a little, sensing the apprehension in her voice. She leaned her head close to Haley's and whispered into her ear, "No, it looks perfect."

Haley pulled away from Peyton and smiled. The two girls looked at the other two girls and then slowly walked over to the window. Haley used her index and middle fingers to part the shades. She closed her eyes and leaned her head against the window. "He's still standing out there… alone… staring at her spot." Peyton nodded slowly. "I feel like I should do…something." Haley's words started to slur as she took a long gulp of her wine, finishing off the glass.

"No," Peyton started, "He just needs to be alone." She turned around to look at the two girls.

Lyndsi started to say something and then quickly closed her mouth. She wrapped her fingers around her silver necklace and opened her mouth again, her teeth barely showing through her rose painted lips. "If I had known…" Lyndsi's thick Alabama accent dripped off ever single one of her words.

Her friend shook her head and put her hand on Lyndsi's shoulder, "Honey stop. It's okay."

Lyndsi nodded and smiled at her friend, "Thanks Carter."

Peyton kept her eyes locked on the two girls. She threw her arms into the air and quickly waved them at the girls, "Wait, wait, wait." Peyton crossed her arms over her chest, "Let me get this straight." She pointed at Lyndsi, "You bring your cousin's ex boyfriend over here to "introduce them", she runs out of her own apartment crying like her dog just died, your boyfriend slash her ex boyfriend chases after her, now he is standing in the parking lot just staring at her parking space because he, obviously, is not over her," She paused for less than a second and continued on, now looking at the other girl, "And you are telling her "it's okay"?"

Lyndsi and Carter stared at Peyton, their mouths wide open. "Just let know if I am wrong." Neither of them said anything.

A phone rang from the back room and Haley ran back to the room, realizing that it was her Jack's Mannequin ringtone. "Hello?" She answered quickly as she threw herself onto the bed.

"Hey baby." The voice on the other end replied, it was Nathan.

"Hi honey, what's up how is the dorm tonight?" She asked as she lay back on the bed and crossed her legs.

"Actually, I am out with some of the team and I was wondering where you girls were. Are you out yet?"

Haley shook her head, "No, total chaos here." Nathan paused, letting Haley know he was prepared for her to start her story. "So…" Nathan laughed a little. Haley always started her stories with "so" or "okay". He closed his eyes, thinking that where ever she was she probably spinning her gold band around her pinky finger and shaking her left foot.

Haley switched her legs and shook her foot. She took a deep breath and started her story again, "So, Brooke has this cousin that goes here, Lyndsi. Well, Lyndsi comes over tonight with her new boyfriend and her best friend. So, we are all standing in the kitchen and in they walk, well it turns out the new boyfriend is Lucas…"

"No!" Nathan interrupted, being half sarcastic half serious.

"I know right, well, Brooke runs out and Lucas chases her, I don't know what happened while they were outside, but I do know that Brooke drove away and that was 15 minutes ago and he is still standing outside staring at the place where her car was parked."

"Wow." Nathan said, expecting the story to be over, "So…"

"No, that's not even the whole story." Nathan laughed at Haley's story telling and she jumped off the bed. She spun her ring around her finger with her thumb. "Then Peyton gets mad and tells off Lyndsi and Carter…"

Nathan's ears perked up, "Carter?"

Carter. It was rare for a girl to leave such an impression on him, especially considering he had a girlfriend, a serious girlfriend named Haley. As cliché as it sounded, there was something about Carter that Nathan just couldn't put his finger. Maybe it was the fact that she was a sophomore and knew so much more, socially, than he did or maybe it was because his teammates told him to stay clear of her. It could have been that this was the first girl to not act like a total idiot to get his attention, well the first girl since Haley.

Carter was the kind of girl pre-Haley Nathan would have gone for. Tall, blonde, tan, athletic… perfect. The kind of girl who was perfectly tamed by her uber-sophisticaed, high society parents. Chances are she went to cotillion where her table/dinner party manners as well as her waltz were perfected. She probably went to a private, all girls' school in Charlotte and took her drivers test in her daddy's Mercedes Benz. She seemed so predictable in that sense, but in ever way she was the farthest thing from predictable.

"Oh, right, Carter is Lyndsi's skanky looking best friend," Haley's voice turned to a whisper, "I mean, Nate, you should see this girl."

Nathan had seen this girl and he didn't find her "skanky" at all.

"I mean we are talking three dollar hooker." Haley paused, thinking about what Brooke had said just about an hour before, "You wouldn't leave me for a three dollar hooker would you?"

Nathan laughed, "Have you been drinking tonight Hales?"

Haley swung the door open, "A little," She said putting her fingers together indicating "a little". She walked back into the living room to see Lucas leaning onto the island in the kitchen. "Nathan, baby," Her words were slightly slurred, "I have got to go. Call me later honey." She closed her phone and tossed it to the couch. "Luke," She cried, "What happened?"

He lifted his head to say, "She said she was 'the luckiest"." Lucas slowly lowered his head back down, letting his forehead hit the marble on the island. "Where did we go wrong?" He shook his head back and forth on the marble, "Where did we go wrong?"

Haley ran her hand over Lucas's back as she looked at Peyton who was leaning against the door. Haley looked at her confused, "The girls are… where?"

"I killed them; they were annoying me to tears." Peyton said, joking. Lucas looked up, his face tear streaked. He narrowed his eyes at her and then lowered his head back down. "Yeah," She shook her head at Lucas, "They left… obviously."

"Luke, what are you talking about, the luckiest?" Haley asked, as she sat down next to him at the island.

"Brooke… she told me, 'Lucas Eugene Scott, you are an amazing, amazing guy and any girl would be lucky to have you." He paused for a moment and looked up at the two girls, "Then she said, 'I was the luckiest."

Haley and Peyton stared at him, speechless. The two girls looked at each other and then back at him. Haley decided to break the silence.

"Luke," She started to walk toward him and enveloped him in a hug, "I don't know what to say."

He shook his head, "I mean what am I supposed to do?" He pulled away from Haley, "I have a girlfriend who… I like. Don't get me wrong, she's great, but I have this ex girlfriend who I'm…"

There was a knock at the front door, followed by it swinging open. Brooke stood in the doorway, her eyes red and puffy from crying. She crossed her arms over her chest when she noticed Lucas standing in her apartment.

"I'm in love with." Lucas finished as his eyes moved toward the door seeing Brooke standing in the doorway.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Nine Ten was loud and dark. The speakers throbbed with each note and remnants of Lil' Jon played throughout the former meat packing business building. Unlike a meat packing plant, the room was steaming and full of college students whose bodies were drenched in a combination of sweat and hard liquor. The strobe lights flashed, making it hard for anyone to tell who was who.

A long, tanned leg stretched out of the driver's side of a Lincoln Navigator. The owner of the leg ran her hand from her foot to her thigh and tugged at the hem of her silver and white tweed shorts. Her silver Christian Louboutin wedge hit the pavement and she smiled. She slowly brought her other leg out, followed by her thin body. Her hands ran over her fitted white tank removing all the creases and then met her pearl and gold chain necklaces. She straightened them out and cocked her eyebrow as she looked at the club. The closer Carter got to the club, the more excited she got. Carter loved going out. It was just "her thing" as all her former sorority sisters would say.

Carter passed the line waiting outside the popular club and Lyndsi followed close behind making sure not to lose sight of her chic friend. When she met the bouncer at the door, she coyly said, "Tony… honey." He winked at her, put his hand on the small of her back, and glanced at the line behind her. Carter winked back and leaned toward him, kissing him on the cheek. "Thanks babe." She grabbed Lyndsi's hand and dragged her into the club.

As soon as Carter's shoe hit the linoleum floor she turned to Lyndsi, "Lynz, it doesn't get any better than this." She took her shy friend by the hand and led her to the bar. Carter leaned across the glass counter top and yelled to the familiar bartender, "JB Browning! Carter Dunn is waiting!"

The blonde bartender quickly whipped his head around and smiled at Carter. He glanced at his ex-girlfriend, Lyndsi, and cautiously walked over to the two girls. "Hey Cart," He smiled at her, white teeth almost appeared purple thanks to the black strobe light behind the bar. JB looked at Lyndsi and in a civil manner said, "Hey Lynz."

Lyndsi pushed her dark hair off her shoulder and said "Hi," to him quickly before turning away from the bar and toward the crowd. Carter shrugged at JB and quickly took a long gulp of her Whiskey Sour. "J Bizzle, how is the RA job coming?" She ran her ring covered index finger around the rim of the glass, "Any new, sexy freshman?"

JB laughed and walked to the other end of the counter, slid a thirty something guy a Bud Light, and then casually walked back toward Carter "Ya know, there are always some sexy freshman girls." He leaned over the counter, "That's the thing, freshman girls are always more sexy."

Carter sipped on her drink and said, "I don't know if sexy is the word." She looked up at him, "Naive… willing…"

"Desperate," Lyndsi said, quickly spinning around on her leather bar stool.

"You were a freshman once Lyndsi," JB said quickly as he slid Carter another Whiskey Sour.

"And I was desperate." She replied quickly, pulling her long brown hair into a low bun.

JB rolled his eyes and headed to the other end of the bar.

Carter stared at the liquor behind the counter and noticed her reflection in the mirror behind the bottles. She noticed a familiar face across the bar and blinked hard at the sight. She took a long drink of her whiskey and looked at Lyndsi. "He's here."

Lyndsi looked at her, confused, "He? Who?"

The music stopped and Carter patiently waited for a new song to blare from the speakers. She turned around quickly when she heard the first note of Bubba Sparxx "New Ms. Booty".

"JB, I wish your sexy self could come dance with me," She winked at him and hit him on the shoulder, "But you've got to work…" She grabbed Lyndsi, "Come dance!"

Lyndsi shook her head as she sipped on her Long Island Iced Tea, "No, you go ahead." She kept her fingers on her straw, carefully guiding it to and from her lips.

Carter shrugged her shoulders and threw her hand into the air. She swayed back and forth, in and out of the crowd until she finally reached the middle. She let her hips hit hard with every pound of the base. Guy after guy would come up behind her, put their hands on her hips and grind against her. She shooed them all away. She had her eye on a tall, dark guy across the club.

TDH (tall, dark, and handsome) 's eyes met Carter's as he weaved in and out of the crowd. He smiled at her, put his hand on her back, and casually walked behind her. He leaned down and whispered into her ear, "I was wondering if a girl like you would come out tonight."

She slowly turned around and with a breathy whisper said back to him, "A girl like me comes out every night." He smiled and raised his eyebrow at her. He put his hands on her hips and grinded with her, their faces getting closer and closer with ever second of the song. She put her hand on the back of his head, asking him, "So where's the wifey tonight?"

TDH put his hands on the waistband of Carter's low rise shorts and pulled her closer, "At her friend's house. She is too drunk and too far up my brother's ass to come out."

Carter raised her eyebrow at him, "Too up his ass? She is your girlfriend, not his." Carter stated confidently as if she knew what was going on.

TDH shook her head and whispered into Carter's ear, "I didn't come out tonight to talk about my issues with my brother and my girlfriend."

A smirk fell across Carter's face, "Oh really. What did you come out for tonight?"

He pulled her in close to his face and kissed her on her neck, letting his kisses move from her neck across her chest, to her lips, saying in between kisses, "I… came… for… you." She let her lips remain on his and their tongues danced just as everyone else around them did.

She smiled into his mouth and said deeply, her voice raspy now, "You know this is wrong."

"That's why it feels so good." He smiled at her, his blue eyes twinkling, "Carter… I don't do this with just any girl… you are spec-"

The song changed and interrupted his words. "Bad Girl" by Usher blasted from the speakers. Carter looked up at the DJ station and noticed Nine Ten's DJ Slash motioning toward her. He leaned toward the microphone and in with a Southern twang said, "Carter Dunn, this one is for you, get up here Miss Thang."

Carter smiled at the DJ and then looked back at TDH. His strong arms were crossed over his even stronger chest. She bit her lip and leaned toward him, "Don't ruin this good thing we've got." She winked at him and audaciously said, "I'll be watchin' you from up there Scott."

Nathan watched her turn and walk away to the DJ stand. She finally reached the DJ booth and Nathan was in awe. He looked around the club and noticed every single person in Nine Ten was staring at Carter. They watched her throw her hands into the air and spin around. The watched her throw her necklaces off of the booth and into the crowd. The watched her every move. Carter Dunn was like royalty.

He walked over to the bar and unknowingly sat next to Lyndsi. Nathan smiled at her and ordered a Coors Light. The bartender, JB, promptly returned with the beer.

Lyndsi spun her chair around and said to JB, "She always does this…"

JB grinned at her and made her another LIIT, "It's just her thing. It's so her." He slid the drink to Lyndsi and leaned across the bar, "And Carter Dunn is always in season."

Lyndsi laughed a little and turned to Nathan, "You know Carter?"

Nathan took a long swig of his beer and nodded at her, "Yeah, you?"

"Best friend," Lyndsi said as she spun her straw around her glass, "I love her to death…" She looked at JB, "But that girl is a handful."

Nathan watched Lyndsi sip on her drink, "So I have heard."

Lyndsi smiled at him and extended her hand, "I'm Lyndsi."

He took her tiny hand into his and replied, "Nathan, you go to Duke, Lyndsi?"

She shook her head as she took another drink, "No, I actually go to UNC now."

"My brother goes to UNC too."

"Small world."

Nathan nodded and drummed his fingers on the counter top. He looked over at the DJ booth to see Carter now dancing on the DJ table with two other girls. Nathan laughed and took another drink of his beer.

"That's Hannah Taylor and Maddy Alvertson, they used to be my sorority sisters… at Duke." Lyndsi looked back at JB, who was carefully watching Maddy dance on the table with Carter. Maddy was that infamous sorority sister JB cheated on Lyndsi with. Chances are they would have still been together if Maddy hadn't cheated on JB with his Lambda Sigma brother Cris Smithson during Greek Week the beginning of their sophomore year.

Lyndsi let out a small laugh as she thought about the love triangles. Karma's a bitch, she thought.

Nathan's phone vibrated from his pocket and he quickly answered, "Yo."

It was Haley. "Baby…"

"Haley?"

"Where are you babe?" Her words were even more slurred than before. "I want you to come get me. I'm at Brooke's, baby, come get me…"

Nathan stopped paying attention to Haley and looked up at the DJ booth and watched Carter hug the two girls and then step down. She was walking toward him. Her long, wavy, blonde hair flowed behind her as she put her hands into her tiny pockets of her shorts.

''I'm at the club."

"You're still at the club?" Haley whimpered, "Come get me, I wanna see you. I need you."

"I have to get up early." Nathan said hastily as Carter got closer to him.

The whininess in Haley's voice immediately turned to annoyance, "Nathan, come get me now."

Carter was not standing in front of him and kissed him on the cheek. He closed his eyes and in an almost whisper said, "I have to go Hales."

"Fine." There was silence on the phone for a moment and Haley said, "I love you."

Nathan closed the phone and threw it into his pocket. Carter smiled at him, "Where to now?"

He put his arm around her waist and looked into her deep eyes, "How about your place?"

Carter didn't even look away as she said, "Not tonight." She turned away, grabbed Lyndsi by the hand and slowly turned back to Nathan, "Let's not ruin this good thing we've got Scott."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The sun had just come up minutes ago and it was already almost eighty-five degrees. Haley extended her leg from the red car and cringed at the miserable temperature. She wiped her dried mascara from under her eyes and took a deep breath. She stared at the dorm just steps away and let out a long sigh.

Peyton called out to her, "Hey Hales, call me if you need anything, okay?"

Haley waved her hand without turning around. She lowered her head and walked toward the building. When she heard the car drive away she slowly turned around and glared across campus at Nathan's dorm. She shook her head in disapproval.

"Bad idea," She said to herself as she put her hand on her forehead. Her head was throbbing and her heart was borderline broken from the events of the night before. She had too much wine and he never came over. Haley couldn't help but blame herself.

Creeping out from behind the clouds came the blistering sun and Haley was thankful that her dorm was just a step away. She ducked inside the door and headed for the elevator.

"Rough night?" She heard a familiar voice say from behind the counter. She cringed at the sound of his voice.

Haley lowered her head and slowly turned toward him. "No, I had a fine night, thank you," She said very precisely.

He nodded at her and looked up from his magazine, "I can tell."

She walked close to him and leaned against the counter. Looking him up and down, she retorted, "You don't look like you had the best night last night."

"Well, so what if I didn't." He watched Haley shrug her shoulders and turn away, walking back to the elevators, "I am a bartender," He continued, "Every night I work is a rough night."

Haley turned around and nodded at him, "A bartender?"

"A bartender," He replied. "At Nine Ten, that club down the street." Haley walked back toward him, suddenly interesting in the conversation. "It's a good job." He closed his magazine, "I get to see my friends…" He paused for a moment and looked her up and down, "I never see you there though."

"Yeah," She said casually, almost ashamed.

"The boyfriend?" The blonde RA asked as he stood up from his chair.

Haley looked up quickly, "What?" She ran her hands over the top of her head and then back down, under her eyes checking to see if she had anymore mascara.

"How's your boyfriend? I remember you talking about him that one night."

"Oh," She said looking down at the tiled floor, "He's okay," She said looked up and plastering a fake smile on her face, "We're good."

The RA smirked at her, "Okay." He looked back down at his magazine and waited for Haley to continue.

She slouched her shoulders and leaned against the counter, "I don't know." He looked up for a moment and noticed her dark brown eyes. He smiled at her and she slowly smiled back as she laid her head on the cold counter. "What's your name?" She asked him without lifting her head.

He laughed at her, "Jamie Browning." He watched her lift her head and he put his hand out, "And what's yours?"

"Haley James."

He took her hand in his and continued introducing himself, "You can call me JB though. I let the people I like call me JB."

She smiled, "You can call me Haley. I let everyone call me Haley."

JB laughed at her and watched her turn away. She pressed the up button and the elevator doors immediately opened. She put her arm out to keep the door open. "See ya around, JB."

"See ya Haley." He watched the doors close, the image of her slowly disappearing.

Haley leaned against the wall of the elevator and felt a smile creep across her face. Her hands turned into fists as she threw her arms into the air. She danced around the elevator until the doors opened back up.

"Haley, you never pressed a number," She heard JB call out.

Embarrassed, Haley peaked her head out, "Tell me you saw all that through your little camera."

JB nodded and Haley slowly entered the elevator again, throwing her hands over her face as she pressed the number ten button in the elevator. The doors opened and Haley quickly ran to her dorm room. She threw herself onto her bed and noticed the answering machine blinking.

"Hales, it's Nate, I'm sorry about last night, let me make it up to you tonight. I'll pick you up at 7:30 on the dot. I promise. I'll make it up to you I sware."

Haley closed her eyes and pressed the repeat button on the answering machine. She listened to his sincere sounding words play over and over again. She winced at the sound of his voice. She couldn't help it and she couldn't deny what she was feeling. As she quickly sat up in her bed she said to herself, "I am falling out of love with him." She closed her eyes tight, letting her words totally soak in. There was nothing she could do about it. She was falling out of love with him.

JB picked up his cell phone off of the desk and dialed a familiar number. He ran his Caribbean tanned fingers through his hair and waited for her to answer the phone. During the summer JB worked as a beach boy in the Caribbean. It was basically the best job ever, for JB at least. He got to sit around, clean pools, get tan, and look at tanned, toned girls all day long. It was exactly what he had hoped it would be.

Jamie Browning was nothing short of a ladies man. With his movie star good looks and charm that could woo the devil herself, he was the man all the mother's hoped their daughters would bring home and the guy all the daughters would kill to shack up with. JB loved nothing more than just being JB.

He tapped his pen on the counter getting anxious. Then, finally, she answered the phone.

"J Bizzle, what's up hottie? It's a little early to be calling. You better be glad that I am five stages beyond hung-over and haven't gone to sleep yet, period." It was Carter.

"Cart, come over here, I want you to meet this girl." JB spun around in his chair, waiting on Carter's reply.

"You met a girl at, like, seven in the morning?"

"No," He stopped spinning in his chair, "I met her the other day, but she just came in. She has been having trouble with her boyfriend and I need you to come over here and gauge as to whether or not her relationship is really over or not."

"Wow," Carter said, he could already sense the sarcasm in her voice, "You, JB Browning, ladies man himself, needs help from little ol' me Carter Dunn? Unbelieveable. Did hell freeze over?" She laughed at her own joke. "What's this lucky ladies name?"

"Haley James."

"Haley James." Carter repeated him; suddenly a light came on in her head, "That name sounds so familiar." She thought for a moment and then realized where she had heard the name, "I met her the other night at Lyndsi's cousin's apartment. Cute girl. Really cute girl. A little shy, but cute."

"Cute girl?" JB spun his chair around to look toward the elevators. "So are you come over here or not?"

"Free drinks next time I come to the bar?"

"Free drinks next time you come to the bar."

"Yes! I will be right there. I can't wait to see this chick again. She must be something for you to be giving me free drinks."

JB nodded, "She is something. I just need your help."

"I'm on my way."

The two hung up the phone and JB pressed the button to turn on the intercom, "Haley James, please come to the front desk. Haley James, please come to the front desk."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

As soon as the phone started ringing Brooke got that empty, nervous feeling in her stomach. Her eyes remained on the ceiling fan as she carefully watched it spin around and around. "Thirty-five, thirty-six, thirty-seven…" She continued counting each rotation. Her voice got louder and louder with ever rotation as she tried to block out the sound of her ringing phone. "Thirty-eight, thirty-nine…" By forty she was basically screaming.

Once the ringing ceased, she casually rolled over and checked the caller ID. One missed call. Lucas Scott. Brooke rolled her eyes and turned back on her side. She tapped her fingers on her stomach and stared at the blank television screen. The clock flashed 6:47 and she shook her head in disgust.

He left the apartment nearly four hours ago after he and Brooke had the screaming match of the century on her apartment balcony. He told her he loved her. She told him she never wanted to see him again.

How screwed up was that?

The only two things she had ever wanted were right there in front of her, in her reach, and she pushed them away. Love and Lucas walked out of her door at 2:33 that morning. She would remember that time for the rest of her life because it was the moment everything changed. It was the first time that she felt like he was really gone and like he wasn't coming back.

And that's what scared her more than anything, the fact that he was never coming back, the idea that no matter what she said or how hard she begged he wasn't going to come back.

Even though he had just called and that meant he obviously had something to say to her, Brooke was scared because she didn't want to hear all the negative things that Lucas had to say to her. Therefore, she just pretended like he didn't call at all.

There was a knock at Brooke's bedroom door and for a second she considered ignoring it. Then for another moment she wondered if it was him. Maybe he decided not to listen to her. Maybe he decided to come back and tell her it was okay. Maybe she was just confused as to what she wanted.

She threw herself off the bed and opened the door quickly with a smile plastered across her face. The smile dripped away when she realized it was the other Scott brother. "Oh." She turned around and threw herself on to the bed, "It's you."

"Nice to see you too," Nathan said as he closed the door behind him.

Brooke threw her hand up, "Not tonight."

"It's morning, Brooke."

"Exactly," She said as she sat up on her bed, resting her back on the pillows that she didn't sleep on the night before, "Why are you awake so early?"

"Couldn't sleep," He said slowly as he adjusted his body moving it to the top of the bed with Brooke.

"Seems to be a reoccurring theme around here." Nathan looked at her, confused, and she shook her head, "Nothing." She slowly cocked her head to the side to get a better look at him. She smiled at his sad eyes, "What's going on with you Nate? Even through out my fight of the year with Luke last night I could tell that something was going on with Haley." She watched him slowly nod his head and she continued, "She really wanted to see you last night, Nate."

"I know, I know." He leaned back and dug his hands into his pockets, "I want it to work I really do, but…"

Brooke blinked hard at him, "But what?"

"I just don't know if it's going to." He turned his head to look at Brooke. As he looked away, he closed his eyes and thought back to the past few days. "Things used to be so great, ya know?"

She nodded at him, thinking about how good things between her and Lucas had once been. "But they can't always be that way." She put her hand atop Nathan's, "People change, Nate, Haley knows that and I think you do too. You can't deny the inevitable."

Nathan smiled at her and fluffed the pillow under his head, "Mind if I stay here for a bit?"

Brooke smirked at him, "No, go ahead, it's nice to have company." She closed her eyes for a moment and then looked straight ahead, "Sometimes I can be in a crowded room and feel more alone than I ever have." She turned her head to look at him, "Have you ever felt like that?"

"Yeah," He nodded slowly at her, "Back in high school Haley and I would be sitting in a crowded restaurant or be at a basketball game and it would feel like we were the only two people in the room."

"I know what you mean," Brooke said, not letting her gaze drift.

"But it's not like that anymore."

"Things change. Nothing can stay the same."

"Sometimes I wish it could."

"Most of the time I wish it could."

Nathan smiled at her and put his arm around her, pulling her close, "You're great you know that?" She smiled back at him and nuzzled her head into the crook in his neck. "Brooke?" She slowly glanced up at him. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" She asked him, quizzically.

"Just things. The way things are for both of us now." He kissed her on the head, "Things will get better I promise."

Brooke's door swung open to Peyton standing in the doorway. Her face was white and looked as if she had just saw a ghost, or maybe heart from the guy who once broke her heart.

"Jake called." She said, sounding noticeably shaken. Her hands dug into her mop of curly, blonde ringlets. She covered her eyes with her hands and slowly lowered her head. "This can't be happening. I was fine until… just a second ago."

Brooke jumped off the bed and motioned to Nathan to do the same. She put her hand on her friend's back. Nathan put his arm around her, "You are going to be fine."

"Yeah," Brooke said, as she put her hands on Peyton's cheeks, "You can still be fine."

Peyton shook her head, letting her hair fall into her face. "No, this changes everything. Nothing can be the same now." She quickly wiped a tear away from her face, "I am a mess now."

Brooke put her arm around Peyton and carried her to the bed. Peyton collapsed into Brooke's arms and began to sob. Brooke looked up at Nathan, who was leaning against the door frame.

As Brooke looked past Nathan, she noticed a figure walking through the front door. She took a deep breath and blinked hard at the sight. It was Jake.

She whispered into Peyton's ear, telling her to stay in the room and just rest. Nathan followed Brooke out of the bedroom and into the living room.

Jake dug his hands deep into his pockets and slowly cocked his head to the side, trying to peak into the back bedroom. "I guess I should have given more of a warning," He said as he chewed on his bottom lip.

Brooke stood on her tip toes and engulfed him in a hug. She slowly pulled away, "Jake, what are you doing here? Why didn't you tell anyone you were coming?"

He casually shrugged his shoulders as he stared at Nathan, "I thought it would be easier this way."

Nathan's phone began to ring from his pocket. He quickly pulled it out and answered, "Hey."

"Scott, what's up? It's Carter."

"I know who this is." Nathan reached for the door knob and quickly scurried out the front door.

Brooke looked at Nathan confused and then looked back at Jake. "So what are you doing here? How long are you here?" She shook her head. Jake being back was so much to grasp, "Are you here for good?"

Jake took a step back and nodded toward the back bedroom, "She in there?"

Brooke nodded and whispered back, "She is going to need some time." She leaned across the counter in her kitchen and looked at Jake. She smiled at him and drummed her fingers on the counter top. "You want to go get coffee or something?" She pointed out toward the window, "There is this little coffee shop…"

He quickly interrupted her, "Yeah that would be nice."

She smiled at him and he reached for the front door. Brooke scurried to her bedroom to check on Peyton. She cracked the door open and noticed Peyton fast asleep, wrapped up in Brooke's blanket Karen Roe had made her. She smiled and slowly turned around, tip toeing back to Jake. She smiled at him once more and followed him out the door.

Nathan stood on the balcony leaning against the railing, "Okay, I will see you in a minute."

"Haley?" Brooke asked as she intertwined her arm with Nathan's.

"Yeah, it was Haley." Nathan said, lying through his teeth.

Brooke let go of his arm and pranced down the stairs. She looked over her shoulder back at Nathan, "Don't mess it up even more then it already is. You can still save this."

Nathan nodded at her and looked down at his phone which flashed Haley. She was calling, but he couldn't talk to her right now. He had to go meet Carter.


End file.
